Vegetables

Helping Appalachian Farmers Tap New Markets

Gary and Cindy Laws’ journey to successful organic farming started in the tobacco fields of western Virginia’s hill country. Both raised on tobacco farms, they saw the crop’s pitfalls firsthand: a declining market, health risks associated with smoking and, most importantly to the Laws, the myriad chemicals used in tobacco production. But, like hundreds of […]

Earthen Path Organic Farm

Steven Schwen’s farming roots were established during the ‘back to the land’ movement in the 1970s. Earthen Path Organic Farm grew out of his vision of a sustainable world based on local economies.

Managing Alternative Pollinators

Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers and Conservationists is a first-of-its-kind, step-by-step, full-color guide for rearing and managing bumble bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees and other bee species that provide pollination alternatives to the rapidly declining honey bee.

Adding Cover Crops to a No-Till System

South Dakota farm manager Dan Forgey has improved soil quality and the bottom line by successfully introducing cover crops to his long-term no-till system.

Crop Rotation on Organic Farms

Crop rotation strategies that can be applied under various field conditions for conventional or organic crops to improve soil quality and health, and manage pests, diseases, and weeds

Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide

This guide was written to help institutions determine how to source more sustainable food options.

Guide to USDA's NASS End of Season Fruit and Vegetable Inquiry

This plain language helps farmers complete the USDA-NASS End of Season Fruit and Vegetable Survey. The guide explains the survey's purpose and step-by-step instructions for completing the forms.

Harvesting Crops for Market

This plain language guide has information on when to harvest vegetables, how to prepare produce for harvest, and safe handling of produce after harvest.

Reduced Tillage and Cover Cropping Systems for Organic Vegetable Production

This information sheet captures research by Virginia Tech and the Virginia Association for Biological Farming to develop cover crop-based, reduced-tillage systems for organic vegetable production.

High Tunnels

This manual on using high tunnels or hoop houses for season extension includes case studies, a supplier list and chapters on marketing, site selection, construction and types, and soil, pest and environmental management.